A Ruckus at Midnight
by Scrawlers
Summary: The Ninth Doctor, Rose, and Captain Jack can't even go to a spa without getting kicked out.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who or any of its properties. If I did, Steven Moffat would not be in charge right now.

**Notes: **This was written forever ago and posted to Tumblr. In an attempt to update this account with some things, I decided to post it here.

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**A Ruckus at Midnight**

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Trust Rose and Jack to get in trouble on the planet Midnight, of all places.

The Doctor supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. What was _supposed _to be a relaxing spa visit for the three of them (well, two of them; he had no intention of getting into a hot tub no matter how much the two of them begged and pleaded) went south the second he allowed either of them to be left to their own devices. Between Jack hitting on with the visiting Prince of Morestra and upsetting his guards to Rose accidentally entering a bubble bath reserved for the Queen of Vulpana, the Doctor figured that it was lucky they only had _two _armies screaming for their heads, rather than three.

"Quick, in here!" With Jack's hand in his left hand and Rose's in his right, the Doctor pulled them both into an abandoned room at the end of a corridor, throwing them both in ahead of him before he darted in and slammed the door. For a moment, the three of them waited in near silence as their pursuers passed the door, the only sound coming from the pounding footsteps outside and their ragged breathing within. As the sounds of their pursuers died down, the Doctor finally allowed himself to lean back against the door, unable to resist a fierce grin in the dark. "Right then. Really glad that worked."

"What are we going to do now?" Rose asked, and his smile faded at her question. "We can't just stay in here forever. How are we going to get back to the TARDIS with all of them looking for us?"

"Think you should have thought of that before you stole that bubble bath, don't you?" the Doctor asked. Even in the gloom he thought he could see her glare.

"How was I supposed to know that was reserved? They should have put up a sign or a rope or something!"

"Come now, no fighting. What's a little time in darkness spent between friends, huh?" Jack asked, and the Doctor turned a glare in the direction of the wolfish tone.

"Keep your hands to yourself, Captain. I think your libido has brought us enough trouble for one day."

"With us, is there _ever_ enoughtrouble?" Jack fired back. The Doctor couldn't help it: he grinned.

"Just about." He paused, listening to the silence outside of the door for a moment, and then reached for the handle. "I think the coast is clear. Let's go."

Cautiously, the Doctor opened the door, stepping out into the hallway. Rose and Jack crept along behind him, and together, the three of them made their way swiftly and silently through the hallways. The TARDIS had been left in a storage closet on the opposite side of the main spa building, and if they could just manage to make it there without attracting attention—

"Oh!" The voice of an old woman seated in a squishy chair in the lobby made them pause as they passed through, heads low, and they turned as she reached a gnarled hand to grasp at the Doctor's sleeve. "So sorry to ask, dears, but aren't you the ones all this ruckus is for?"

"Ruckus?" the Doctor repeated.

"What ruckus?" Jack asked.

"I don't see any ruckus," Rose added, not missing a beat.

"I could have sworn there was a ruckus," the old woman said. "Something about a handsome young gentleman—" Jack grinned, "—a pretty young lady—" Rose smiled, "—and a fellow with too-big ears stirring up trouble."

"Oi!" the Doctor said indignantly, and he pulled his arm from the old woman's grasp. Everyone in the lobby turned to look at him as Rose bit back a smile and Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "What's it always got to be about my ears for? My ears are fine!"

"Doctor, I think your ears are the least of our problems right now," Rose said in an undertone, as guards from the planet Morestra started their way.

"Think we should get out of here?" Jack asked, and once again, the Doctor took their hands in his own.

"That's the plan," he said, and after flashing them a grin added, "Run!"

In the end, he supposed that he shouldn't have blamed them for stirring up trouble—not when he was just as bad about it himself, and not when the three of them were struggling to run given their laughter.

But all the same, the Doctor couldn't help but hope that once, just once, he'd be able to bring a companion to this planet without getting kicked off.


End file.
